When Pennsylvania Farm Bureau members from across the state gather for their annual meeting in Hershey, they’ll debate and vote on more than 100 policy proposals, on issues ranging from Chesapeake Bay management to agricultural research.

Sportsmen and legislators are waiting with great interest on one of those votes. At least one county delegation has put forth a proposal to change the Farm Bureau’s longstanding opposition to Sunday hunting.

If that succeeds, Sunday hunting could soon be on the way. But, several key legislators said, it’s hard to imagine Sunday hunting passing the General Assembly if the Farm Bureau votes to support the ban.

If that’s true, a survey of county Farm Bureau presidents suggests that — despite a campaign by the NRA and sportsmens groups — hunters will still have only six days in the woods.

The farmers contend they need a day they don’t have to worry about trespassers on their land or hunters accidentally shooting livestock. They’re not the only group opposing Sunday hunting.

Hikers, horseback riders and animal rights activists have all lined up against it. But, legislatively, the Farm Bureau, with more than 53,000 members, has all the clout.

“The Farm Bureau is the only reason I can’t vote for the bill as it stands,” said Rep. Dan Moul, R-Gettysburg. “The Farm Bureau carries a lot of weight (in my district).”

Each of the 57 county Farm Bureaus (not every county has a bureau) have had their annual meetings. That’s where the counties determine their policy proposals and tell their delegates how to vote at the three-day state convention.

Eight county presidents from around the state all said Sunday hunting came up at their annual meetings. All eight said their delegations want the organization to continue actively opposing Sunday hunting.

While at least one delegation has a differing proposal — the Farm Bureau will not say which one — the presidents all said they expect it will fail, just like similar proposals in recent years.

By the end of the month, Rep. John Evans, R-Crawford County, wants to know if Sunday hunting has the votes to get out of the House Committee on Game and Fisheries. Evans used to oppose Sunday hunting, but changed his mind, partially because of reports that Sunday hunting could create $800 million in economic growth.

State Rep. Edward Staback, D-Lackawanna, said the biggest hurdle right is just getting the bill out of committee.

“The Farm Bureau seems to be a key player yet,” Staback said. “The Farm Bureau has enough influence over some members of our committee and members of the General Assembly to stop that from happening.”

IS IT ALREADY DECIDED?

At the committee’s Oct. 27 hearing, Evans and other House committee members pushed the Farm Bureau to negotiate some kind of compromise on the issue. Joel Rotz, the bureau’s government relations director, said the organization would not negotiate against the views of its members.

Evans and others also questioned if the Bureau’s own members supported the policy. Staback told Rotz he should really go survey his members.

In interviews, the county presidents said their members had the chance to make their voices heard at the annual meetings. Few of them chose to speak in favor of Sunday hunting.

One person supported another hunting day at the Dauphin County bureau’s meeting, said president Don Carns.

Three or four farmers in the Beaver-Lawrence meeting wanted Sunday hunting, said president Henry Karki. The majority was against, and members said they would not allow hunting on at least 3,000 acres of their land if Sunday hunting passes.

At the Chester-Delaware county meeting, one person voted for Sunday hunting, one person voted that the bureau stay neutral on the issue, and 16 opposed, said president Dan Miller.

Evans and Staback have both said they hope the Farm Bureau uses its annual meeting to develop a proposal that could benefit both farmers and hunters. Perhaps they would trade stronger trespassing laws for Sunday hunting only on public game lands?

The presidents said such proposals held little appeal for their members. Miller asked if strengthened trespassing laws would mean the Legislature would finance enough game and police officers to make trespassing calls a priority.

What’s more, Evans and Staback might have made their pleas for compromise too late. By the Oct. 27 hearing, the county bureaus had already held their annual meetings. Their proposals were made. Delegates to the state meeting had their voting instructions.

Unless one of the counties had already crafted a compromise proposal — and a majority of the counties had told their delegates to vote for such a plan — don’t expect one to emerge from Hershey.

And that could be that.

“It’s always a good open discussion, but once the majority takes a position, that’s the position for another year,” said John Painter II, president of the Tioga-Potter County bureau.

NOW OR NEVER?

Moul hopes an amendment could make the key difference.

It would allow Sunday hunting only on private property.

“They can’t oppose it,” Moul said, adding, “It’s all about the property rights issue. The government can’t tell me what to do on my private property.”

Many non-farming landowners, especially in the Northern tier, have been asking for such an exemption, Staback said.

Dan Wilkinson, the Adams County Farm Bureau president, said Moul’s proposal would still have hunters disturbing farmers on Sundays and trespassing, two of the farmers’ prime complaints.

The Farm Bureau will announce its policies for the next year Nov. 16. If the membership votes to remain opposed to Sunday hunting, the issue might disappear for a while.

Unless the NRA and the sportsmen can outflank the Farm Bureau in the legislature, Sunday hunting supporters will have to wait another year for the Farm Bureau to again review its policies. By then, the retiring Evans will be on the way out.

The remaining committee members will be waiting for a new General Assembly session to begin, and new priorities will likely dominate the agenda.

“If this is not moved — or it’s voted on and it goes down — it would be, in my view, a long time before the issue comes back again,” Staback said. “The mood of the General Assembly would have to change dramatically.”

Featured Story

Get 'Today's Front Page' in your inbox

This newsletter is sent every morning at 6 a.m. and includes the morning's top stories, a full list of obituaries, links to comics and puzzles and the most recent news, sports and entertainment headlines.

optionalCheck here if you do not want to receive additional email offers and information.See our privacy policy

Thank you for signing up for 'Today's Front Page'

To view and subscribe to any of our other newsletters, please click here.